Oscar Picks - Spielberg Takes the Cake

The Oscars are here, the Oscars are here!

It's funny, I never really cared about the Academy Awards until a few years ago.  Like most people, I wondered why popular films never made the cut and a bunch of movies that "no one sees" earn recognition.

How wrong I was!  It all started with the 2011 Academy Awards, when amazing films like The King's Speech, The Kids Are Alright, True Grit, The Fighter, The Social Network, and Black Swan were fighting it out.      
    
What I've found is that the weight of an Oscar nomination is important to me - it speaks to a film's quality and originality.  It's not a guarantee by any means, but it does help a film to rise above the rest of the Hollywood noise.  For example, recently caught up on past winners Winter's Bone and The Ides of March and was absolutely blown away.  

Last year was the first time that I watched the Oscar ceremony and cared about what films were picked - I wasn't too far off in my predictions!  

My goal is to watch at least half of the Best Picture nominees so I can have some stakes in the outcome.  Sadly, I've only seen 2 of the 9 this year - Life of Pi and Argo.  Which also means I've missed most of the performances nominated for acting.  But I have seen a majority of films competing in the technical categories (sound, visual effects, and music).

I won't judge a movie I haven't seen, but from all of the buzz, I won't be surprised when Spielberg's Lincoln sweeps everything.  It has the right feel for an awards washout - Big Director + Big Actor use the Big Past to say Big Things about Our Present.  

Here are my other Oscar observations for 2013:

Life of Pi (3D)

 

This is an amazing film.  I've not read the book, but the movie had me engaged at every point.  I won't lie - many tears were shed thanks to the beautiful visuals and score.  The music is one of the most moving I've heard in recent years and is absolutely central to creating so many breathtaking moments in the film that would otherwise lag.  

The 3D was impressive without being overbearing and I'm always curious to see what a heavyweight director will do with the technology.  The tiger was especially good, but I think the sinking ship sequence is when my jaw dropped the most. 

I am surprised that Suraj Sharma (the character Pi) didn't get an acting nomination.  Think about it - he did that entire story in front of a green screen yet brought fantastic depth and poignancy to his character.  You never doubt for a second that he isn't stranded in the middle of the ocean trying to survive against insurmountable odds.  It's a shame - would have been a great and deserved opportunity to honor an Indian actor too.

Nominated: Best Picture, Cinematography, Directing, Film Editing, Original Score, Original Song, Production Design, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Visual Effects, Adapted Screenplay

My Vote:  Strong showing in all of the technical categories.  Personally would like to see it take Original Score and Cinematography.

WON: Cinematography, Directing, Original Score, Visual Effects 

Argo

 
Ok, Affleck was definitely robbed for directing here, but the film is at least up for Best Picture.  I really enjoyed this film and I think its greatest strength is making it suspenseful when you already know the ending.  

Well made, quality film.  Now I need to go rent The Town because I think we're going to see more from Affleck in the years ahead - this is going to give him huge creds no matter what the film takes home.

I love Alan Arkin, but I personally don't know why he got nominated.  He plays the same version of a character he's been doing in recent years.  Don't get me wrong - I love that character - but I didn't see anything new here.  His role in Little Miss Sunshine is so much more. 

Did you know that John Goodman has never had an Oscar nomination?  He's a prolific character actor and every bit as good as Arkin in this (as well as his side-busting appearance in Flight below).  Someone give this man some credit! 

Nominated: Best Picture, Supporting Actor, Film Editing, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Adapted Screenplay

My Vote: Screenplay and Film Editing.  Seriously, film editing is an invisible art and it plays an enormous role in this movie to get the pacing just right.

WON: Best Picture, Film Editing, Adapted Screenplay

Flight

If you are scared of flying, skip the first 45 minutes - the airplane crash is intense and realistic to the core. 

So is Denzel's performance as a heroic pilot who happens to be a drunk.  We watch him descend time and time again into alcoholic fits only to snort crack to stabilize his binge.  Any actor can slam back a bottle or inhale powdered sugar - it takes someone with chops to bring an emotional complexity to a character bent on self-destruction and give the audience reasons to root for him.

Nominated: Best Actor and Original Screenplay

My Vote: Daniel Day-Lewis is going to walk all over this category, as he should, but I think Flight should win for Screenplay - I've never seen another film like it.

WON: no wins 

Skyfall

It's pretty rare for a Bond movie to have any Oscar recognition, but let me tell you, Skyfall deserves each nomination.  I was absolutely impressed with the cinematography.  Fight scenes can be pretty stale across the genre, but not so in this 007 installment - they're inventive, engaging, and nothing like what I've seen before in an action movie. 

Nominated: Cinematography, Original Score, Original Song, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing

My Vote: The cinematography won't happen (sigh), but everybody's in love with Adele so Original Song and I'd put money on either sound category.

WON: Original Song, Sound Editing (tied with Zero Dark Thirty)

Other Predictions

Costume: Either Snow White movie - Atwood is a legend but Eiko Ishioka's designs in Mirror Mirror were more inventive (Anna Karenina snatched this one up).  

Animated Feature: Brave is the only one I watched, but it's good enough to win (and it did).

Visual Effects: Only category I've seen all of the movies in.  The tiger in a boat will grab this one by the teeth, but I think all of these movies have a place here this year (right again).  

What are your Oscar thoughts this year?

Oscar Picks - Hugo and the Artist Will Sweep

Let's talk about the Oscars, shall we?

A lot of people don't care about the Academy Awards.  I can't blame them.  Long speeches, movies that never came to your theater, and loads of rich people decked out in designer duds.
   
Then there's the grumblings about how the judging is handled and who exactly is doing the voting.  There's been a lot of buzz this year about the largely white and very male demographics of the Academy and how that skews which movies are highlighted.  

And how about the awards themselves?  What does getting a nomination/win actually mean, will the film or performance stand the test of time?

Good, now that we've cleared that out of the way, let me talk about why a cinephile like me still pays close attention every year.

I find the Oscars interesting because they capture a moment in history.  I believe that they reveal something about where we are as a culture and what issues are on our minds.  And regardless of the voting, it's still a peer-recognized award.

This year's theme is clearly inspiration.  With the economy still in the pits, it makes sense that each Best Picture nomination tugs at the heart.  The Artist is the inspirational story of the silent film era, Hugo - the inspiration story of a boy in Paris, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - the inspirational story of a boy and his father's memory, and so on. 

I've seen over half of these films.  I'm not a betting woman so I won't make any predictions, but if I could cast my vote, here's what would be on my ballot:

THE ARTIST

    
Despite some movie patrons who clearly didn't know silent film etiquette, I really enjoyed this film.  Largely a tribute and homage, this Oscar darling highlights the best of the silent film era while making the story and the acting accessible to a modern audience.  

Regardless that the story isn't that original, it still impresses me that the industry could dust off these ancient movie making techniques and bring to life such a lovely film.  The cinematography was fantastic, with beautiful black and white contrasts and outstanding composition.  The costumes also supported the overall look of the film.

Nominated: Best Picture, Actor, Supporting Actress, Original Screenplay, Music Score, Cinematography, Art Direction, Costume, Directing, Film Editing

My Vote: Best Score, Cinematography, Editing, Costume, and Art Direction

HUGO

Scorsese making a child's film?  Of course it's going to be a front runner this year.  No matter what this wins, there will be no surprises here (unless there's no wins at all).

I half enjoyed Hugo.  I was much more interested in the parts about Méliès and early cinema than I was about the little boy, but that's just a personal preference.  I didn't see it in 3D, but the cinematography was whimsical to fit the story. 

Nominated: Best Picture, Cinematography, Art Direction, Costume, Directing, Film Editing, Musical Sound, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Visual Effects, Adapted Screenplay

My Vote: Directing, Sounding Editing & Mixing, Visual Effects, Adapted Screenplay

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS

Wow, was I ever surprised by this flick!  I didn't know what it was about going into it and I was totally pleased by the story and the understated magical realism.  I'm not even a fan of Woody Allen fan, but this movie is changing my mind.

This film offers a great ensemble cast, with an even better story.  Anyone who's studied literature or history will really enjoy the finer points of Allen's humor in the film. 

Nominated: Best Picture, Art Direction, Directing, Original Screenplay

My Vote: hands down Original Screenplay, Directing

TREE OF LIFE

This was by far the most difficult movie I've watched recently.  It's in the same ballpark as 2001: Space Odyssey, The Fountain, or Solaris - jammed packed with sweeping visuals, hard-to-pinpoint symbolism, and understated yet powerful acting.

I admit, I didn't enjoy the film on an entertainment level.  But on an artist scale, I'm very glad this movie exists and that someone has the balls in Hollywood to make a picture with such a grand intent. 

I don't think the Academy knew what to do with this film either.  Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastin should have been nominated for their performances in this rather than in Moneyball and The Help.  Their performances really drove the meaning of the film, as did the highly intimate cinematography.  

Nominated: Best Picture, Cinematography, Directing

My Vote: Cinematography and Directing 

THE HELP

 

A movie about race and empowerment?  Let the nominations roll.  

It's hard for me to not be sarcastic about this film.  I haven't read the book, but the movie, while fun to watch, doesn't really say anything noteworthy about race relations.  It does make it clear that women can be cruel to each more than any Jim Crow law and that change can start in the bathroom.

While Viola Davis is the more powerful and serious actor, I feel like her and Octavia Spencer's nominations are reversed.  Octavia has much more screen time and she brings depth to a character that could easily be played for laughs alone.  Their scenes together are excellent, which is why I have trouble fingering who is truly the leading actress from the supporting.

Without going on a tirade, I'm also troubled by Jessica Chastin's nomination here.  I love her character and performance, but it complicates my interpretation of the film's message.  I identified more with her white trash character more than I had sympathy for the plight of the maids.  Maybe this stems from the book and is supposed to be deliberate, but it leaves me wondering.

I also have to add that Bryce Dallas Howard gave a fantastically delicious performance as the story's villain.  She should be recognized for helping the audience to not only hate her, but feel sorry for her misplaced purpose in life.  Her comeuppance at the end is a fine example of character depth. 

Nominated: Best Picture, Actress, and Supporting Actress (twice)

My Vote: I hope Spencer and Davis take the cake!